The Battles of Philippi (42 BCE):
The Death of the Roman Republic
The battles of Philippi remain one of the best examples of how audacity on the battlefield can influence history. The battles are the climax of the civil war following the assassination of Gaius Julius Caesar in 44 BCE by a band of prominent political figures of Rome; (led by Marcus Junius Brutus (Brutus) and Gaius Cassius Longina (Cassius)) who will be referred to in this paper as ‘the Liberators’. The Battles that occurred on the Macedonian plains from the 1st-21st of October 42 BCE will clearly show that no matter the period of history the battlefield considerations of Political, Military, Economic, Social, and Physical Environment can be exploited to achieve victory.
The Political Situation
The volatile political situation in Rome following the assassination of Gaius Julius Caesar (Caesar) was complex. Competing Caesarian and ‘Liberator’ factions were deadlocked by popular perceptions of Caesar and the legal ramifications of declaring him a tyrant. A compromise was struck to remove the shadow of guilt from the assassins while declaring all of Caesar’s acts as legal. By compromising all Roman nobles in power would retain the positions granted by Caesar; specifically Caesar’s great nephew and adopted son Gaius Octavius the Younger (Octavian) to keep the titles granted to him in Caesar’s will. (Dando-Collins, 2010) The Triumvirate , a trilateral commission of pro-Caesarian forces would win the battle and ultimately change the course of western history. This Political compromise set the conditions for the battle to come.
Military Considerations
The Triumvirate forces were at a slight military advantage of ‘the Liberators’. The legions of the Triumvirate ...
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...entions allowed him to counterattack and gain the upper hand. Mark Antony’s model of understanding yourself, your enemy, and your environment stand as an enduring example to commanders.
Bibliography
Appian. (2007, December 22). The Battle Of Philippi. Retrieved March 24, 2012, from www.livius.org: http://www.livius.org/phi-php/philippi/battle2.html
Dando-Collins, S. (2010). The Ides: Caesar's Murder and the War for Rome. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons Inc.
Holland, T. (2003). Rubicon. New york: Doubleday.
Plutarch. (2009, June 25). The Parallel Lives by Plutarch. Retrieved March 24, 2012, from penelope.uchicago.edu: http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Brutus*.html
Unknown. (2012). Second Triumvirate, Wars of the (43 - 31 b.c.) . Retrieved 03 24, 2012, from www.ehistory.osu.edu: http://ehistory.osu.edu/middleeast/warview.cfm?wid=69
The play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare showcases many characters and events that go through many significant changes. One particular character that went through unique changes was Julius Caesar. The 16th century work is a lengthy tragedy about the antagonists Brutus and Cassius fighting with the protagonists Octavius, Antony, and Lepidus over the murder of Julius Caesar. Although the play’s main pushing conflict was the murder of Julius Caesar, he is considered a secondary character, but a protagonist. Throughout the theatrical work Julius Caesar’s actions, alliances, character developments, and internal and external conflicts display his diverse changes.
Bibliography:.. Plutarch, Fall of the Roman Republic: Six lives by Plutarch, Translated by Rex Warner (London: Penguin Books Ltd., 1972).
The formation of the First Triumvirate took place because of the political motives and the personal motives of the three ruthlessly ambitious power brokers in Rome. These men required the co-operation of the other two in order to further their political careers. During the time of the First Triumvirate many extraordinary powers where obtained and in some cases these where unprecedented. There are some key factors that have to be considered towards the break down of the Triumvirate. The most powerful and influential people, the Optimates became increasingly dis empowered, and a sense of desperation to regain power is felt with the use of Pompey in an a final attempt to restore power to the Senate.
Shakespeare, William. "The Death and Life of Julius Caesar." www.shakespeare.mit.edu. N.P., n.d. Web. 22 Feb 2016. ;.
The German businessman-turned-archaeologist claimed to have discovered the city of Troy on the hill now called Hisarlik – about three miles from the Dardanelles. However, his claims are still disputed. Before tackling the question of whether the Trojan War actually occurred, we must ask in what form. What exactly do we mean by “the Trojan War”? There is no definitive version of the events in the war, as our knowledge of it comes from a myriad of different sources.
Hunt, Lynn and Thomas R. Martin, Barbara H. Rosenwein and Bonnie G. Smith. “ The Greek golden age,” in the making of the west volume 1 to 1750 2012, edited by Denise B. Wydra, 75-108. Boston: Beford/St. Martin’s, 2012.
Julius Caesar, The Gallic War, trans. Carolyn Hammond (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996), 181, 183-4, 188-89, 191-94, 241-42.
Over the span of five-hundred years, the Roman Republic grew to be the most dominant force in the early Western world. As the Republic continued to grow around the year 47 B.C it began to go through some changes with the rise of Julius Caesar and the degeneration of the first triumvirate. Caesar sought to bring Rome to an even greater glory but many in the Senate believed that he had abused his power, viewing his rule more as a dictatorship. The Senate desired that Rome continued to run as a republic. Though Rome continued to be glorified, the rule of Caesar Octavian Augustus finally converted Rome to an Empire after many years of civil war. Examining a few selections from a few ancient authors, insight is provided as to how the republic fell and what the result was because of this.
Antony Kamm ~ The Romans: An Introduction Second Edition, Published in 2008, pages 47, 93
Julius Caesar (100-44 BC) was one of the most outstanding leaders in history. He was the first ruler of the Romano-Hellenic civilization and achieved his goals with great success throughout his life of 56 years. He was assassinated by the conspirators, who accused him for practicing tyranny. This essay will discuss whether it was right for the conspirators to murder Caesar and what its consequences were.
The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. N.d. Print.
In the darkest hour of the Roman Republic, an army was led against all odds to reign supreme on the Italian peninsula. Led through sheer military genius, the Carthaginian Army laid waste to everything the might of Rome could muster. For years on end, Italy was the stage for the greatest military orchestra the world had yet seen, conducted by a master of strategy and warfare. Hannibal, son of Hamilcar Barca, laid siege to the very idea of Rome’s military prowess. Despite absolute dominance of the Italian peninsula for several years, his success can not be credited to his brilliance and mastery of strategy. Hannibal’s success can be primarily attributed to Rome’s failure to respond at key points of his advance into Italy.
3)Gwynn, David M. The Roman Republic: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2012. Print.
THESIS STATEMENT: The assassination of Julius Caesar was due to his increased power and the Senate's fear of losing their political relevance. PURPOSE STATEMENT: Through critical analysis and research, it has been shown that Caesar's gain in power worried the Senate. INTRODUCTION: On July 13, 100 B.C., Gaius Julius Caesar was born into a family that was proud of being patrician.
The Battle of Salamis is said to be one of the most important battles in all of history. It was a naval battle fought between the massive Persian army and smaller Greek army in the Bay of Salamis in 480 BCE. This battle was one of the many battles that were a part of the Greco-Persian war. This paper will explore the events leading up to the battle, the battle itself, including advantages and disadvantages both sides had on one and other, and finally will discuss the affects the result of this battle had on each side. Surprisingly, the much smaller Greek army defeated the Persians at the Battle of Salamis. How did this happen, one may ask? Although the Persians appeared to have the military advantage in this battle, particularly in terms of sheer size and numbers, the Greeks successfully defeated them with the help of their leaders, tactics, and many Persian blunders.